good tuesday morning. coming up on "early today" -- >> alex rodriguez. [ boos ] >> the distraction in action, a-rod hits the field for the first time with fans letting him know what they think. al qaeda threats reveal a plan to, quote, do something big. is president obama ready to rid the nation of fannie and freddie? oprah's striking 'do. and some surprising new stats on pot smokers and the biggest party schools in the country. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for tuesday, august 6th.

good morning. i'm richard lui. we're going to start with breaking news coming out of yemen nepu.s. state department urging u.s. citizens to leave yemen immediately due to, quote, the continued potential for terrorist attacks. it also ordered nonemergencies u.s. government staff to leave. the security threat there is considered very high. tensions already elevated with 19 u.s. embassies and consulates closed through saturday. sources telling nbc news intercepted electronic communications prompted those closures through the middle east and north africa. sources saying two of al qaeda's top leaders, quote, wanted to do something big this past sunday during ramadan. those leaders being al qaeda's chief ayman al zawahiri and his deputy in yemen. it did not reveal a specific target or method. a shooting inside a pennsylvania government building leaves at least three people dead culminating with two people tackling the gunman, shooting him with his own gun.

three people, including the gunman were injured. happened last night at the regular monthly meeting of ross township supervisors. police say 59-year-old rockne newell fired into the windows and then went inside. investigators think they have a possible motive. >> he's had an ongoing dispute with township officials. something about the condemnation of his property and issues relating to his sewer. i was told there was nothing about his property on the agenda tonight. >> the township official is among the dead. another victim in surgery. the gunman is in police custody. president obama heads to phoenix to highlight one of the country's most remarkable housing recoveries. tracie potts joins us from washington. any good news we can get on that. what new proposals are in the works. >> he's got a couple of them. he'll be announcing them in phoenix. the where here just as important as the what. this is where president obama was four years ago talking about the housing crisis.

now he goes back to phoenix. they are having a baste bounceback, but they still have a long way to go. today there, the president is expected to talk about borrowing and refinancing, saving middle class families $3,000 a year. he'll pitch the idea, putting a lot more private money behind mortgages. so the government is not so much at risk so we don't see collapses like fannie mae and freddie mac. and this is key, in arizona, he's going to be talking about the link to immigration. suggesting that with 40% of new homeowners as immigrants, fixing immigration could fix the housing problem as well. >> looking at housing for us. tracie potts, thank you. alex rodriguez may have avoided a lifetime ban, but the mlb's 211-game suspension has put the player's future in jeopardy. on monday, major league baseball suspended 13 players linked to

the biogenesis performance enhancing drug investigation. the league made an example out of a-rod, sidelining him until the 2015 season. rodriguez's his ban is taking effect on august 8th, but he will appeal the suspension, which will allow him to play until a ruling takes place. as he hit the field for the first time this season, yeah, that's what he got. white sox fans saying, well, boo in so many different ways. before the game, rodriguez and the yankees manager joe girardi made it clear a-rod will stay on the roster while he fights for his baseball life. >> i have had two hip surgeries, i've had two knee surgeries, i'm fighting for my life. i have to defend myself. if i don't defend myself, no one else will. there's a process. i'm happy the process, in due time, hopefully, you know, whatever happens, happens. >> i'm joined by deputy sports editor and blogger at "the

washington post." cindy, thanks for joining us. 12 players with 50-game suspensions. a-rod with 211. some asking, is this fair? >> i think it is fair. i haven't seen the evidence, baseball hasn't released it, but, you know, they claim that he has -- he was involved in covering up the investigation, whatever was going on with the biogenesis clinic, and, you know, in addition to receiving substances, although it should be noted that he's never failed a test. >> there have been others who have failed tests but have received no game suspensions. why didn't the commissioner do as he threatened earlier. and that is to use a not well known stipulation here to still keep him off the field? >> i think that they wanted to strike some sort of a balance. baseball also has an extremely strong players union. they needed to negotiate. they got involved in this. and i think they worked this out. of course a-rod will appeal and this is where it gets dicey and kind of nasty, probably.

>> it could go on for what? >> if he wants to get dirt. >> 80, 90 days this could go on. >> oh, yeah. >> when you look at how the league is working with the union, what does that tell you? is the drug raerera over as som might be asking? >> i'm sorry, but i don't believe the drug era is over. the cheaters are always ahead of the tests. it's just the nature of cheating. and chemistry. and i think it will be something else after this. i don't know what, but it will be something else. >> and you and i will talk about it, no doubt. cindy boren, thank you. anthony weiner continues appealing to new york city voters. moving on from that sexting scandal is not proving to be easy. one passionate voter confronted him on the campaign trail. >> get someone to handle your [ bleep ]. you are disgusting. disgusting. >> whoa. you've got -- you think you have a right to dominate the conversation because you're not voting for me?

big deal. >> difficult time there on the campaign trail. weiner shrugged it off. he's planning to get right back out there and continue campaigning. a water park in texas found an inventive way to keep their patrons cool. what's all that? they've created an ice dump. and bill karins, i don't know. i kind of like the heat. that's awfully cool. we're talking about, what, triple -- >> they wanted the cold water. have you ever been in a pool and you want the cold water? >> when you have all those people around you -- it's a great idea. two tons. wonton was about 2,000 pounds of ice. >> 104 yesterday in san antonio. >> i take that back then. >> some breaking weather news out of missouri. got a report. severe flash flooding. a rescue boat from the waynesville fire department. you see waynesville in the middle of your screen on i-44. the rescue boat tipped over. the firefighters are in the

water. now they are attempting to rescue the firefighters who are in this flash flood. so six inches of rain estimated as fallen in southern missouri just over the last 12 hours. and the weather pattern has been yielding a lot of heavy rain through kansas and missouri about the last week. and it's no surprise. saturated soil and thunderstorms that aren't moving fast. it's just a recipe for more flash flooding issues. as far as the west goes, many areas remain dry and nice and warm. nothing too dramatic. pretty typical this time of year. a little rain through arizona. that will be the case again today. scattered showers. maybe a thunderstorm or two. won't last much of the day, but it will keep temperatures down with the clouds, 95 in phoenix. i should say only. that's your national warm in s

though, of california. so i'll give you an update if i hear anything about those firefighters trying to be rescued in missouri. >> thanks, bill karins. shocking new statistics on drinking and walking. detroit voters go to the polls. and will the amazon entrepreneur change the face of journalism? "early today" back in two. >> announcer: brought to you by the makers of centrum men and women. have you taken the most complete multivitamin today?

welcome back. the trial of major nadal hassan is set to begin. it's been nearly four years since the ft. hood military base shooting. 13 people were killed and over 30 wounded in 2009. many of the wounded taking the stand will have to go face to face with hassan. he's opted to represent himself in that trial. an amber alert was put out for two children.

the children's mother was found in a burned out house. the identity and manner of death remain undetermined. hannah anderson, 16 and ethan anderson age 8 are believed to have been taken by this man. he was last seen driving blue four-door nissan. a 1500-acre brush fire is roaring through cleveland national forest in california. chevron usa has been convicted of labor code violations in connection with a 2012 explosion at his san francisco bay refinery. the company agreed to pay $2 million in restitution and find. in a statement they said they are committed to inned improvement and safety. marijuana use among young people has declined since the early 1970s. use among older adults, however, continues to climb. those who tried it in the '70s are replacing older americans who never used the drug. we all know drinking and

driving can be deadly. there's a new study that shows drinking and walking can be just as fatal. the national highway traffic safety administration says over one-third of pedestrians killed in 2011 had blood alcohol levels over the legal limit for driving. in comparison, about one-third of traffic fatalities in 2011 were caused by drunk drivers. for an early look at business, we turn to bertha coombs. good morning, bertha. >> good morning, richard. amazon's ceo jeff bezos is buying the "washington post" publishing business, including its namesake paper for $250 million. bezos says this is a personal acquisition and "the post" will remain separate from amazon. he tells the post readers he'll strive protect the journalistic tradition. gm is knock $5,000 off the price of the chevy volt. automakers have been forced to cut prices on electric cars to move them off the lots.

and christie's has been hired by detroit to appraise the value of the city's vast art collection as it tries to pay down its massive debt. they'll explore various options such as leasing works to other museums to avoid an all-out sale. richard? >> either way it goes. if you are a parent paying for college tuition, listen to this one. the money you are shelling out could be going to more than just a university education. the princeton review surveyed 126,000 college students nationwide. they found the top party schools include syracuse university, west virginia, the university of illinois at urbana-champaign, the university of california santa barbara. number one in the best party schools? the university of iowa. straight ahead, all your sports headlines when "early today" returns.

monday not a good day for the yankees. first yankees star alex rodriguez gets suspended. hours later, the crowd gives their judgment. listen to this. >> number 13, alex rodriguez. [ booing ] >> yeah, no love for a-rod's first at-bat this season for the yankees. he does single. it ain't enough. the white sox with the rout there, 8-1.

did i mention derek jeter on the disabled list again. not good for the yankees. or closed caption of the crowd, boos. reacting to the 13 suspensions, mark mcgwire, a prominent baseballer from the '90s steroid era saying just really hope and pray that this is the end of it. everybody, especially the players, don't want any more part of it. and i hope this is the end of it. i wish i was never part of it. 15, 14 plus another. the dodgers unstoppable on the road. latest to fall, the st. louis cardinals, 3-2. puig bare handing a hit off the wall, showing how easy it is. nice. new york jets coach rex ryan wants fans to be nice. speaking of which, after quarterback mark sanchez was booed for throwing an interception at a recent scrimmage. he wants a little tlc for the former usc trojan. at the x games megan rutledge on the last jump before the checkered flag.

what does she do? fist pumps. she assumes victory and, no, almost over the bars. nope, sorry. and after the lorks she was in tears. what's the lesson? do not shake fists while in the air. talking about air, 5'10", grabbed the ball from blake griffin. over his shoulders. two points there. he did it three different times. short guys can jump. >> announcer: early today sports is brought to you by just for men auto stop. a-rod lampooned in late night. plus a real life hunger games camp. well, kind of, next.

welcome back on this tuesday morning. another warm, beautiful summer day. just one after another. 89 in portland. people are going to get like electricity bills they haven't seen in summers past because of the warmth. sae seattle, 86. boise 95. monsoonal moisture going to trigger showers and storms out there. that will be the case tomorrow, too with more clouds but not quite as much rain. medford, maybe a stray shower tomorrow. just boom, boom, boom, day after day. i mean -- >> so far this sum ear. >> summer to remember. >> if you had to pick one part of the west it would be northwest. seattle just had a great year. in entertainment news, alex rodriguez's suspension from baseball made him the butt of jokes on "late night with jimmy fallon." >> alex rodriguez has been

suspended from baseball for 211 games but he's going to appeal the decision and keep playing. >> ooh. >> even anthony weiner was like, man, some people just don't know when to quit. >> wouldn't you love to see the two of them talk, though? no one dies at a hunger games camp in florida, thankfully. instead of killing off tributes like they do in the popular book and film series, they claim lives by stripping away flags. the competitor with the most flags wins. radar online is reporting sources close to teresa guidice says the real housewives star expects her husband, joe, to take the fall to keep her out of prison. the reality show couple is facing 50 years in prison and hefty fines if convicted on bankruptcy and fraud convictions. sarah jessica parker admitted to a british newspaper that motherhood has made her manolo blanek a distant memory.

she doesn't dress up much any more since being a mom requires a different kind of wardrobe. she is famous for that. >> even with the babies. >> that's right. we might see her on the streets like that. the september image of "o" magazine shows oprah winfrey with a different kind of hair. 3 1/2-pound wig for the cover shoot saying it felt like she was carrying around a different head. that's a lot of hair. and finally, brian kranston faced some old skeletons on "the tonight show." jay leno pulled his voice-over work from the power rangers. >> that no match for me. >> now you can face my firepower. >> i'm richard lui. we're not going to talk like that. we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

leading the news in "the washington post," republicans want nbc, cnn to cancel upcoming programs on hillary clinton. they're threatening to block all the networks if they don't comply. nbc points out that the project is being done independently by nbc entertainment. and a tragic story in the toronto star, python strangles sleeping boys above a pet shop. two young brothers, 5 and 7, were crushed to death by the escaped python during a sleepover. the home where ariel castro held three women hostage for a decade is being torn down. his adult children were seeing taking some things from the home.

he was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years behind bars. facebook's ceo mark zuckerberg is publicly calling for immigration reform. speaking before the screening of a documentary on monday, he said no matter where students are from, they are going to be tomorrow's entrepreneurs. the 29-year-old billionaire said a student he was tutored told him he was worried he wouldn't be able to go to college because he was undocumented. currently there are only approximately 1600 pandas alive in the wild. the same amount of styrofoam pandas have been placed throughout the plaza at berlin's train station. that's got to be surprising. these pandas will be traveling throughout germany until october. they look kind of real here, bill karins. >> if you have an animal that you kind of root for on the endangered species -- >> it would be the panda. >> i didn't realize there's not that many of them. >> maybe tiger. >> is it a marsupial? >> i have -- that requires more

time than we have. time for a look ahead. today marks the 68th anniversary of the bombing of hiroshima. the blast in 1945 killed up to 140,000 people. a somber ceremony was held in japan to remember the victims. detroit voters head to the polls today in a primary election for the next mayor. 16 candidates are on the ballot. a slew of write-in candidates could delay results. happy birthday to punky brewster star soleil moon frey. and basketball hall of famer david robinson turns 48. here's what's coming up later on the "today" show. a fresh look at the kennedy's final lear in the white house. and why jackie o. called it the happiest time of her life. meet an 85-year-old personal shopper for bergdorf goodman who dresses some of the most stylish women in the nation. keep it here for more news, weather and sports. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. you're watching "early today."

have a good one.

it is 4:30. good morning everybody. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> right now we have breaking news to tell you about in san francisco where firefighters are working right now on a grass fire threatening the san francisco national cemetery inside the presidio. that fire started near the intersection of park and lincoln boulevard. that happened about 2:00 this morning. this is the very first video of that fire into our newsroom. you can see there, this one creeping up on some of the head stones inside of that cemetery. our bob redell right now on his way to that scene. as soon as he arrives, we'll bring you an update in our 5:00 newscast. in the meantime a man is dead a driver under arrest after an overnight crash in san jose. according to